Famous Hatchery 'Pure Bred' Appearances

[Mimi13]

Index of breeds (so far)... I wonder if @BlackHackle can edit the original post and add this list?

Barred Rocks
Buff Orpingtons
Rhode Island Reds
Light Sussex
New Hampshire Reds
White Leghorns
White Laced Red Cornish
Welsummer
Dark Cornish
Barnevelders
Silver Laced Wyandotte
Speckled Sussex
Cobra
Mille Fluer D'Uccle
Red Pyle Old English Games
Black Australorps

Wowzer! I LOVE this posted feature. Thank you so much @OhZark Biddies for “compiling” @BlackHackle ’s wonderful information.

 

[Mosey2003]

Great thread, BH!!!

I have a couple things to add.

Firstly, I wouldn't assume that SOP breeders are ignoring production. My exhibition Barred Rock ladies started laying right around 7 months, that really isn't bad for a big, heritage type bird.

Their personalities do seem more docile than the hatchery stock I've had as well. I don't think you can really draw too much on that discussion though, as I've had good and bad in both. I had one extremely rank cock that went to freezer camp that was "heritage" but I have some personal feelings about his breeding that contributed...

I also don't think you really can equate dog breeds and breeding with chickens at all, either. They're basically the opposite: a pedigreed dog is "purebred" no matter what it looks like, whereas a chicken is considered whichever breed it most closely resembles, regardless of pedigree. It's apples and oranges.

I can't wait until I get a few generations into my exhibition birds, I got a really good headstart by happy accident. They are much heavier and larger than the hatchery birds. Heavier specifically, as in they look like they are just a little bit bigger of a bird, but they actually weigh POUNDS more. They're well-muscled and WIDE, which helps as far as egg production.

 

[Mimi13]

Great thread!
I do agree there is a marked difference in feathering and even body type. But to be fair, I don't really see many hatcheries claiming that their birds are SOP. I have seen some of the large hatcheries, if you dig through their descriptions, they tell you if birds are "show quality" or not.
Now, Meyer Hatchery has photos of their birds online and some of the photos they use are from customers submission. I have birds from them and have been overall happy with them. I wish some had lived a bit longer, but...that's another subject.
I pulled Meyer's Barred Plymouth Rock photo and their hen looks very similar to mine (my avatar). No deceit there. My New Hampshires from Meyers look pretty close to their photos too (I added a photo of my girls). In fact, all my Meyer birds have looked similar to what they have posted online and in their catalog.

I did source some German Line New Hampshires earlier this year and they are vastly different from hatchery birds, They both are lovely (to me) and I look forward to seeing them grow old with me (hopefully). (last photo)

As for personality...only time will tell how these compare to my hatchery girls. I adore my hatchery girls, so even if their feathers or their body type aren't quite just right, they are mine, they bring me joy and that's all that matters.

Meyer Hatchery Barred Plymouth Rock

Photo reference https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=BARS


My Meyer Hatchery New Hampshires (along with Black Australorp and White Plymouth Rock)
View attachment 1520472

My "German Line" New Hampshire at 24weeks.
View attachment 1520473

My hatchery of choice is Meyer as well. I have been very pleased with my birds from there. I have a BPR too and she is gorgeous.

Your GL NHR is bea-u-ti-ful! What a specimen!!!

 

[cmom]

No one’s pissin in any toastys(?).

In defense of BH, I don’t think he meant to imply that hatchery bred birds are useless or inferior (correct me if I’m wrong). It’s just interesting to see how the SOP compares to a typical backyard flock. My birds are scraggly ragamuffins and I love them all the same, but mine are pets and I know they won’t be winning any ribbons.. ever. Fine by me, different strokes for different folks.

I personally appreciate the purebred/SOP semantics debate, it is fascinating from an outsiders perspective and I see no need to be offended either way.

 

[jolenesdad]

@Mosey2003 thanks for making that so clear for me. “A chicken is considered the breed it most closely resembles” is absolutely different than a dog or horse or most other animals and makes so much sense to me.

Does this mean, for example, a breeder could take a generation of breed 1 and add in a completely different breed (breed 2) and as long as the subsequent generations get back to and stack up to the SOP of breed 1, those later generations, that could be say 10-15% breed 2, are still considered breed 1?

 

[Redhead Rae]

@Mosey2003 thanks for making that so clear for me. “A chicken is considered the breed it most closely resembles” is absolutely different than a dog or horse or most other animals and makes so much sense to me.

Does this mean, for example, a breeder could take a generation of breed 1 and add in a completely different breed (breed 2) and as long as the subsequent generations get back to and stack up to the SOP of breed 1, those later generations, that could be say 10-15% breed 2, are still considered breed 1?

This is how different colors are created. They breed a bird they want to have those colors to another breed that has those colors and then breed back until the birds are mostly the original breed but with the new color retained.

Here is an interesting read on the topic. In the description, they talk about how they used Lavender Orps to create the Isabella leghorns.
https://www.cacklehatchery.com/isabella-leghorn.html

 

[cmom]

Yes every 3 or 4 generations or so.

BH I forgot to quote your post..oh well it’s a few pages back ... I read about the inbreeding thing when I came across a concept known as spiral breeding. It’s also used to create new breeds and colours or with rare breeds. But yeah glad to know that some prefer to line breed instead.

When I do get a new birds to add to my line I get them from the same fellow that I got my original quad from so it's the same line, my friend Matt Ulrich, who happens to be the president of the Rhode Island Red Club of America. I have leaned a lot from Matt over the years. He wins a lot at the different shows. I think it's fun to show my birds and see all of the others at the shows. Years past I did do some experimental breeding's because it was fun. Showing and breeding for show isn't for everyone and that's ok. I wish everyone good luck and to have fun...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My hatchery of choice is Meyer as well. I have been very pleased with my birds from there. I have a BPR too and she is gorgeous.

Your GL NHR is bea-u-ti-ful! What a specimen!!!

Thanks!

I have been happy with Meyer for sure! Each order, chicks arrive quickly and are happy and ready to go.
I'm very pleased so far with the GL NH, they both are just lovely. My photo does not do her justice. She shines in the sun. She would not meet SOP, but I don't show either. Mine are for pleasure. I also have some heritage BR I'm growing out, it's been interesting to see how they do. They are slower growing than hatchery birds, but that's o.k. too
I'm not dying for eggs

 

[Mosey2003]

@jolenesdad right, that's how it's done. It takes a few generations.

 

[varidgerunner]

My Asils have nasty attitudes, as they should. Their legs don't always match American SOP, but I try to breed to the SOP they have been bred to for the thousands of years before the American SOP. Colors and leg colors are not that important, but yellow legs as the American SOP suggests is not the preferred leg color, and indicates impurity. If I were to ship my chicks like the hatcheries do, it would not work well. Without a hen to keep the peace, people would be getting a box of guts. I don't see how anyone could possibly provide hatchery Asils, they lay ten or twelve eggs and set, and a lot of times if you start taking eggs away, they see it as a bad nest site and stop laying. I've had to turn hens loose to get them to lay again. Sometimes they eat the eggs that they lay.